Race Notes: 2026 Australian Grand Prix

It’s the much-awaited 2026 season of the Formula 1 race series, and alongside all-new regulations, two new automakers joining the fray (Audi and Cadillac), and a whole bunch of engine and chassis-related chaos, there’s a lot to look forward to this year, and the 2026 Australian Grand Prix proved so.

The new top dogs?

Follow Formula 1 news on social media, and you’ll know that the new engine and aerodynamic regulations essentially acted as Formula 1’s “great reset”. There was a lot of uncertainty around who would be the fastest, and well, we finally know who the big losers and winners are.

Mercedes-AMG and Ferrari, at least for now, are in a league of their own, with the two of them having cars that just simply left the rest of the field in the dust. The exciting battles between Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and George Russell (Mercedes-AMG) were more than enough to keep viewers on the edge of their seats for the first 19 laps.

We even saw a rejuvenated and confident Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) keeping the pace with a rapid Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes-AMG), so assuming these two teams don’t change their form mid-year, we could possibly be seeing a four-way championship battle.

Problems with the rest of the pack

Red Bull and Racing Bulls seem to have the pace, if not for some teething issues. It was very unlucky for Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) as he had solid race pace, but his engine blew up on Lap 12. Arvad Lindbland (Racing Bulls) made his rookie debut and managed a points finish in P8 in his very first race.

As for Max Verstappen, the brake issue that cost him qualifying and sent him straight into the barriers to not qualify (starting P20) saw him show just how crazy of a driver he is, clawing his way all the way to P6.

These weren’t the only issues with these new machines, as Oscar Piastri (McLaren) spun out on the track on the way to the grid, leaving his McLaren beyond repair and putting him out of the race. We also saw the newly crowned world champion, Lando Norris (McLaren), slightly struggle, as he was nowhere near the form he was during the 2025 season.

Nico Hulkenberg’s Audi refused to start, forcing him to retire even before the race started, but his teammate, Gabriel Bortoleto, managed a fairly successful race. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) had an engine problem, while Sergio Perez’s Cadillac also disintegrated mid-race. Williams finds themselves at the back of the pack too, thanks to an overweight car that will definitely need a lot of adjustments before they can get back to their competitive form.

Of course, there’s the elephant in the room with the Aston Martin and their engine issues that forced both Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso to retire and un-retire multiple times during the race, but Alonso says that he “feels superior” for the first time in his 23 seasons of racing. We don’t know if the Aston Martin truly is a rocketship, or if Alonso is just stirring the pot once again.

DRS who?

There were 120 overtakes during this entire race, all thanks to the new battery management-based overtaking.

Strategies have shifted from having a superior car in terms of aerodynamics and engineering, to having drivers and race engineers knowing when and where to deploy it, and regenerate the charge.

We saw how batteries run out of charge even before the end of the straights, and that teams will be looking to fight in the corners instead of the previous late-braking or DRS-assisted overtakes, which, obviously, makes the racing more exciting.

Of course, that will all change depending on the strategy the teams employ. We saw how Ferrari wasted two virtual safety car opportunities for a “cheap” pit stop, and the story of whether or not this would’ve changed the outcome of the race for them will always remain a “what if”.

What’s next?

It’s going to be the Chinese Grand Prix, taking place at the Shanghai International Circuit this March 15, 3:00pm (Philippine Standard Time). One week isn’t enough time for teams like Aston Martin to fully revamp their cars, so treat this second race as another time for all the drivers to get used to their cars. With the uncertainty of the Middle Eastern leg pushing through, no thanks to the conflict, everything is up in the air.

^{Screenshots and photos from Formula 1}